China state media: At least 300 injured in port explosion

A massive explosion shook the northern Chinese city of Tianjin late Wednesday, killing 13 and injuring almost 260 people, according to officials and state media.

CCTV, the state-run broadcaster, said that another 248 people had been admitted to hospitals in the city, east of Beijing. It says the explosion shattered windows and knocked off doors of buildings in the area. The explosion was caused by a shipping container, the bureau said, citing a preliminary analysis.

In July, fifteen people were killed and more than a dozen injured when an illegal fireworks warehouse exploded in the northern Hebei province.

The initial blast triggered secondary explosions, setting off local tremors, according to Xinhua.

State broadcaster CCTV said six battalions of firefighters had brought the ensuing fire under control, although it was still burning in the early hours of Thursday.

Photos and video from Chinese social media site Weibo.com show a giant explosion causing massive damage to the Binhai District of Tianjin, about 90 miles southeast of Beijing.

The firefighting division of the Chinese Public Security Ministry said firefighters were first called to the scene about a fire. “I’ve never even thought I’d see such a thing”.

China has a dismal industrial safety record as some factory and warehouse owners evade regulations to save money and pay off corrupt officials to look the other way.

And at least 71 were killed in an explosion at a auto parts factory in Kunshan, near Shanghai, in August 2014 previous year. It is one of China’s more modern cities and is connected to the capital by a high speed rail line.